My understanding is that 529 plans depend on who owns it. If the student owns it, it is their asset, if the parent owns it, it is the parents assets. I think the student owns custodial accounts and it is recommended you spend them down before it is time to file the FAFSA. It should be spent legitimately, but if they need a computer for high school, or they are in summer camps, you can use the custodial money to pay for that. I have no idea about Educational IRAs. I don't have any sources for this information to give you, so don't rely on it without further research. If you find some concrete answers, let us know.